TRAWMManual

Tennessee Rand Automation Weld Monitor

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Weld Monitor
Installation and
Operation Manual


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Contents
1. Overview and Hardware
– 1.0 Introduction
– 1.1 Description of Sensors
– 1.2 Overview of Weld Monitoring
– 1.3 Hardware
2. Hardware Installation
– 2.0 Hardware Installation
– 2.1 Field Power
– 2.2 Weld Voltage
– 2.3 Weld Current
– 2.4 Wire Feed
– 2.5 Gas Pressure
3. Weld Monitor Web Interface
– 3.0 WM Web Interface
– 3.1 Home
– 3.2 Global Settings
– 3.3 Network Setup
– 3.4 Calibration
– 3.5 PLC Communications
– 3.6 User Information
– 3.7 Firmware Upgrade
– 3.8 MinMax Method (Teach)
4. OI Integration
– 4.0 OI Integration
– 4.1 Weld Overview Screen
– 4.2 Weld Monitor Setup
– 4.3 Weld Graph
– 4.4 Weld Statistics
– 4.5 Programming OI
5. PLC Block Variable Descriptions


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1.0 Introduction
Advanced features of the OI15 and the Weld Monitor minimize
maintenance time by directly showing where faults may have occurred.
Above: A sample screen from an OI application with weld indicators
showing the status of various welds.
The TRA Weld Monitor hardware can be attached to any arc
welder in order to monitor and record data for each individual
weld made. Collected and processed data can be sent as weld
statistics from the WM to an AB or GE class PLC. This data
can also be sent from the WM to a TRA Operator Interface
(OI) as statistics and graph data. The data for each weld may
be viewed on an OI either as scrolling data, as an individual
line graph, or as a 'good weld/bad weld' indicator on a
pictorial representation of the part itself. The setpoints for
determining whether a weld is good or bad can be obtained
automatically via the weld monitor's automatic teach
functions. The TRA OI is also capable of storing the
information to a a database for review and production data
recording.
There are four high speed analogue data channels that are
monitored and recorded in order to evaluate a weld process;
current, voltage, gas flow and wire feed. In addition to the


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aforementioned sensors, the WM also provides information
regarding power level, power consumption, wire
consumption, weld time, and weld count. This document will
provide information regarding the setup and interpretation of
these variables, and also connection to the PLC and Operator
Interface Terminal.


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1.1 Description of Sensors
The weld voltage input is wired to the dc voltage of the

output electrodes of the welder.
Wire feed is monitored by feeding the welding wire through a
set of rollers in the WM, which is internally coupled with an
encoder.
Welding Current is measured by running the positive lead of
the welder through the current sensor opening in the Weld
Monitor unit.
The gas flow is determined by reading the gas pressure at the
nozzle on the WM.


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1.2 Overview of Weld Monitoring
The TRA Weld Monitor has a number of different

applications in the field. The versatility of the weld monitor
allows you to monitor both manual and robotic welding. The
Weld monitor can work independently or interact with
different configurations of industrial hardware. For example,
when a WM is used with the OI (Chapter 4 in this overview)
in conjunction with a PLC, communications can be
configured for the use of hardwired connections or ethernet
communications across a network.
The list of weld monitor applications below is intended as a
basic illustration of the capability of the weld monitor; please
refer to later chapters in this manual for detailed instructions
for the installation and operation for each. The following are
the typical modes of operation of the weld monitor. These
modes may be used individually or in any desired
combination.
a) WM Mounted to a Manual Welder
In this mode, the only hardware present is the weld monitor
unit and the welder itself. The WM detects and evaluates the
individual welds and indicates good/bad welds using the
illuminated external 'Reset' button and the dry contact of the
alarm relay (refer to field wiring for terminal contacts). The
alarm may be reset at the unit by pushing the reset push
button. It can also be reset remotely by energizing the reset
input. When the weld monitor is used only to alert the
operator that a bad weld has occurred, the alarm resets itself
simply by detecting the next weld. This mode requires that an
operator welds a part and does not change the settings of the
welder during welding.
For system configuration, the WM unit needs to be connected
to an ethernet network. Various system parameters such as
sensor calibration, networking, and setpoints can then be
adjusted using its built in web page interface.


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When sensor readings obtained from a weld lie outside
specified parameters, the weld monitor triggers an alarm. This
alarm causes the reset button to flash red, and provides a dry
contact on the external terminal.
When a bad weld occurs, an operator can take a note of this
and decide what action to take; if the alarm is being used for
visual indication only, the WM will reset automatically when
it detects the next weld.
Alternatively, the dry contact of the alarm relay on the WM
may be used to disable the welder, or to send a signal to other
controls. In this case, the operator can either reset the alarm
manually and resume welding, or the controls may be
configured so that a supervisor is required to reset the alarm
(using a user supplied keyswitch or a PLC output wired to the
'reset' input of the WM).
b) WM Wired to a Generic PLC Using BuiltIn
Discrete I/Os
The WM may be used in conjunction with any PLC featuring
24 VDC discrete I/Os. In this mode, the weld monitor signals
to the PLC that a weld is in progress and then whether or not a
bad weld has occurred. The PLC can be configured to disable
the welder and reset the alarm.
The WM setpoints in this case can be configured using a PC
with ethernet connection and the WM web page interface, as
in the previous manual mode.
c) WM Using Ethernet to Transfer Block Data by
Interfacing with AB or GE PLC Types
The WM utilizies ethernet connection to transfer discrete
commands to and from the PLC in the form of block data
(refer to later detailed instructions).


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Setting up communcations between the WM and the PLC
does not require any PLC programming. The WM sends a
block of data to (and reads from) a PLC; the IP address for
which is entered in the settings. The location of this data in
the PLC (such as file N10:0) is also specified in the WM
settings. It is important to create a data file in the PLC to
match the location and length.
d) Using the WM in Conjunction with the TR OI
The typical setup of WM/OI combination includes a graphic
image of the fixture. Each image used is accompanied by
multistate indicators for each weld.
The indicators and actual welds are synchronized, so that
when a bad weld occurs, an indicator will point exactly to the
offending location. The details of each weld can be displayed
and reviewed as a graph (weld signature) by touching the
particular indicator on the OI screen.
The data is grouped by part ID, stored in a database, and can
be reviewed as historical information for each individual part.
The data can be sent to (and stored in) a central server for
factory data collection.
The OI can have a set of tags for the results of each weld.
These tags are then used to:
a) Display information on the screen of the OI
b) Store this information to the database
c) Retrieve historical data from the database and either
display this or send it to a PLC
The communication of data in this setup is directed by the
WM. The OI may receive data from any WM connected to the
same network. As a general rule, one OI may receive data
from multiple weld monitors, although each WM can only
send data to a single OI and PLC.


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1.3 Hardware Description
The Weld Monitor is an entirely enclosed unit (to stand up to
the potential hazards of an industrial environment, dust, weld
spatter, etc.) comprised of a steel casing (covered with a
teflon spatter resistant coating) and a nonconductive, durable,
delrin mountingblock. The unit contains all four types of
sensors necessary for monitoring a weld process.
The ethernet port on the side of the WM unit provides a
means of communications for sending data to a PLC. A
default IP address (192.168.1.96) is assigned to each unit so
that it may be identified on a network and configured using a
web browser.


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a) Field Wiring for the Weld Monitor
The hardwired terminal block provides the connections for
power, reset, alarm and welding. Note that the wiring for the
12 point terminal is different between weld monitors that have
an externally changeable fuse (previous model) and weld
monitors in which the fuse is internal (newer model). The
main difference between these two types of field wiring is that
the new style allows for customizable input/outputs.
Required connections are wires 1 through 5. All other signals
are available through PLC communication blocks. They are
provided for applications either without a PLC or without
ethernet communications to a PLC.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
12
Relay Common
Relay 11
Outputs Alarm Relay Output These are relay outputs. They may be
10 used to make an input to a PLC, or any
Welding Relay Output other way a set of relay contacts are used
9
Spare
8
Assigned Welding (Weld Active)
I/O 7
Weld Counter Reset
6
Alarm Reset the WM already has a reset button. This is to
add additional reset buttons or output from a PLC
5
Weld Voltage To Negative() Welding
Input (from 4 Lead
Welder) + To Positive (+) Welding
Lead
3
GND
2 These terminals are used
DC COM to connect power from
1 the field
+24 VDC
The uplate that covers three outside edges of the unit is
comprised of coated steel, and has a slight elasticity to its


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edges, ensuring that when screwed down, the plate holds as
tight as possible to the rest of the enclosure.
The reset button works as a manual reset when the weld
monitor is disconnected from automated weld steps. When
pressed, the reset button will clear all alarms. The reset button
can also be used to initiate teaching of the current table. To
initiate teaching, or cancel teaching, through the use of the
push button, follow these steps:
1. Push and hold the button. After 5 seconds the button
will flash red.
2. Release the button within 2 seconds of the button
flashing red. The button will now flash green.
3. Push the button again within 2 seconds of flashing
green. The button will flash red again.
4. Release the button after flashing red for the second
time. The current table will now have teaching enabled
(the button should be solid green with a one second red
flash).
When power is applied to the unit, the reset button will show
one of five states:
Solid green Power on, no
welding, no alarm.
Flashing green Welding in process, no alarm
Solid red Weld alarm.
Flashing red Welding, with alarms
Green with 1 red flash/sec No welding,
current table in teach mode.
Red and Green flashing Welding, in teach mode.
When the button turns red to indicate a weld error, pressing it
once will reset the fault, return it to a solid green state and
release the alarm contact. The purpose of the reset button is to
make the operator of manual welding aware that a bad weld
has been made (for example, welding when no interface is
present). The fault state also provides a means to block further
welding when a fault occurs. For example, when an operator
needs to be informed of faults for specific welds before
further welding continues, a dry contact may be energized in
the hardwired terminal.


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The current sensor is located inside the large cylindrical hole
that runs through the width of the WM unit. The positive lead
of the welder is routed through this hole.
The piping on either side of the wire feed area provides a
quickconnect method for attaching the wire feed of a weld
robot. The weld wire must be fed from the welder into the
large connector, through the wheels of the unit, out of the
small connector, and finally routed to the robot.


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2.0 Hardware Installation
There are two primary sections of WM hardware setup that
will be need to be undertaken regardless of which WM modes
are being used or combined.
2.1 Field Power
The weld monitor unit requires a grounded +24VDC power
supply. Ensuring that appropriate breakers for the power
supply are off follow these instructions to successfully supply
power to the weld monitor:
24 VDC DC Com GND
1) Sleeve three eighteen gauge wires (24VDC blue, DC
common black, and ground green) and run them from
the power supply to the desired location of the WM unit
(whether close to a manual welder or as a fixed feature
of a robot welder).
2) Ferrel the ends of each wire and connect the green wire
to the ground (GND) position on an empty power
supply terminal. Connect the other end to the terminal
on the WM unit labelled '3' (see field wiring diagrams).
3) Hook up one end of the black wire to the DC common
(DC COM) position on an empty power supply
terminal, and connect the other end to the terminal on
the WM unit labelled '2'.
4) Connect one end of the blue wire to the 24 volts
(+24VDC) position on an empty power supply terminal
and hook up the other end to the terminal on the WM
unit labelled '1'.
When these steps have been undertaken and the power supply
is active, the large external reset button will be illuminated to
indicate that power has been correctly applied to the unit.


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2.2 Weld Voltage
In order to obtain voltage readings for the welder, identify the
location of the positive and negative lugs for the welder leads.
Using two conducter wire, strip the ends of the cable and
attach the black wire to the positive lug, and the white wire to
the negative lug. Route this cable as necessary so that it
reaches the WM unit (the location of the unit should be in
close proximity to the welder). The two conducter wire should
then be connected to the designated spaces on the WM's 12
point terminal (these will be different for the previous and
current models refer to field wiring description).
2.3 Weld Current
In order to determine current readings for the welder, the
positive lead of the welder should be fed through the large
cylindrical hole at the back of the WM unit. The weld monitor
will need to be secured in close proximity to the welder,
whether it is fixed to a robot or behind a manual welder.
From Positive Lug of
Welder (+)
To Torch
Ensure that the positive lead is routed through the correct side
of the WM unit (as shown above), otherwise the flow of
current will be reversed when it passes through the current
sensor. This will cause a negative reading for weld monitors
with an external fuse (previous model) and no reading at all
for weld monitors with an internal fuse (newer model).


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2.4 Wire Feed
The WM should interrupt the path of the weld wire between
the spool and the welder. Notice that the wire feed wheels
have a certain amount of resistant movement when pressing
down on the push tab (see below). This 'spring loaded' effect
allows for the correct distance between the guide wheels and
the fiberglass wheel (this is what reads the wire feed)
regardless of the size of weld wire being used. In certain
applications, the spring will not be able to compensate for
considerably thicker weldwires. In such cases,
TRAutomation can customize the central holder.
Metal fingers
Push Tab
Socket head screw Guide wheels
Fiberglass read wheel
The weld wire should be fed from the spool, through the WM
unit, and into the welder in the direction shown by the arrows
above. Adjust the socket head screw upon installation
according to the ease with which the weld wire passes through
the guide wheels and the fibreglass read wheel.


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2.5 Gas Pressure
In order to setup the WM to read for gas flow, the line that
supplies the welder with gas must be interrupted and re
routed. Cut the tube that runs from the gas supply to the
welder at the location of the weld monitor (regardless of
whether this is a robot or manual welder) and introduce a
three way distributor as shown below, connecting the side
piece to the . Ensure that all connections are airtight before
turning on the gas supply and beginning monitoring. The
adapter/connector for the gas line and the WM are variable
depending on the size of gas line used (indicated by the red
area below).
Flow of gas from gas source to welder


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3.0 Weld Monitor Web Interface
The following are screenshots of typical weld monitor web
interfaces. Each screen typically consists of a list of system
attributes, their corresponding values at the time the report is
generated, as well as a brief description for each attribute. This
organization is used throughout the weld monitor web
interface.
The majority of the attributes should already have clear and
adequate descriptions of their meaning. Therefore, this
document will not go into details regarding every screen, but
will describe attributes that are especially pertinent for dayto
day operation as well as those warranting clarification.
The WM Home page allows the Weld Monitor to be configured using
any browser.


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3.1 Home
The firmware version and build date uniquely identify the
software version running on the weld monitor. We release new
versions of the firmware through our webpage
http://www.trauto.com/ as they become available. Problems or
bugs may already have been fixed in newer firmware versions.
Please include the firmware version when reporting any
system issues.
Another piece of important information this screen provides is
the communication status among different system components.
Green means the weld monitor has successfully established
communication to the particular component. Red means a
failure has occurred as the weld monitor try to communicate
with specified system component. The message includes the IP
address of the component working with the weld monitor. The
PLC IP address can be changed in the PLC communication
page and is typically be 192.168.1.100. The OI IP address is
the address of a connected OI that communicates with this
WM and is typically 192.168.1.105.
The Home page shows general information regarding the Weld Monitor.


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3.2 Global settings
Once the WM is properly configured for a particular welding
application, these values should not be modified. Default weld
detection and Current threshold determine how the WM
recognizes a new weld. Sample rate and Filter tau determine
the speed at which the weld monitor samples and its sensitivity
from various sensors.
The Global Settings page contains configuration affecting all aspects of
the Weld Monitor.
Typically, settings that deal with default values do not take
effect until the weld monitor is rebooted.
It is possible to change the unit of measurement used for all
monitoring variables. When units are changed, all variables on
the WM web pages, in PLC communication and in OI are
automatically converted to reflect the new settings.


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3.3 Network setup
This page allows the user to configure the network settings for
the weld monitor. It is essential to set these parameters
correctly in order for the weld monitor to function properly.
Typically, for a cell with two weld monitors the first WM,
usually mounted on the master robot, has IP 192.168.1.103,
and the second WM has IP 192.168.1.104. The Netmask
parameter should remain 255.255.255.0. The Gateway IP
address should be set to the IP address of OI, which is
typically 192.168.1.105.
The Weld Monitor was designed to take advantage of a networked
environment. These variables configure the network settings on the WM.


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3.4 Calibration
Calibration values are calculated according to internal WM
sensors and should not be changed.
Changing the calibration values for the Weld Monitor sensors is rarely
needed.


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3.5 PLC communication
Typically, the PLC IP address should be 192.168.1.100. CSP
protocol should be selected for communicating with an Allen
Bradley SLC 5/05 PLC. Ethernet/IP protocol could be
selected for communicating with Allen Bradley SLC 5/05,
ControlLogix or via NETENI.
PLC Communication setup.
a) Global status block
PLC Communication setup: status block.
The description of global and status blocks is in the
documentation section of the web interface. The write period
determines how often the weld monitor updates the various
status indicators and values in the PLC.
b) Global control block
PLC Communication setup: control block.
For faster control responses, the read period is typically set to
0.2 second for weld monitor global control block.


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c) Global user information block
PLC Communication setup: user information block.
The user information block is used only when the PLC
program has the support for recording customized weld
information (for example, serial number, weld descriptions,
etc.). If this function is not implemented in the PLC, the user
information block should be disabled for faster
communication.


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3.6 User information
This screen shows the current values for the user info block.
No other configuration options are available on this page.
Teach for individual welds can be enabled or disabled through this web
page.
User Information settings.


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3.7 Firmware upgrade
This screen allows users to update weld monitor firmware
conveniently from the web interface. The _APP.s19 file
mentioned below is provided from us whenever a new
firmware becomes available. After a proper firmware file
located on the local computer is selected, click Send File
button. Please follow the on screen messages to complete the
update process.
The WM web interface allows updating the firmware. New firmware
versions are available through the TRAutomaiton webpage,
http://www.trauto.com/


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3.8 MinMax Method (Teach)
By clicking on the underlined links, an operator may browse
the content of a particular weld table, enable/disable teaching
for the corresponding table, and edit/empty/delete a particular
weld table.
Table listing Weld Tables and various teaching parameters for each weld
table.
Under the Teaching column, when teach is enabled the
background color is changed to blue. The first number
indicates the number of welds that will be used for teaching.
The X symbol in the next column indicates that the teaching
flags for existing welds within the table are set. When the X is
present, new welds will be automatically added to the table
and set up for teaching. The new weld is created as soon as a
weld with a weld number not already defined in the weld table
is made. The start delay, end delay, and blip values are set
according to teach parameters, and the rest of the setpoints are
zero. The new weld is also flagged for teaching.
The X flag is automatically reset after the first learning cycle.
The first learning cycle is defined as the time between
enabling the table's teaching mode, at least one weld
occurring, and toggle off, reset part counter, or reset signal.
The typical steps for a learning cycle are as follows:
1. Turn on table teaching
2. Perform at least one weld (the WM ignores all resets
until then). New welds are added when necessary and
are flagged for teaching.
3. Following the next reset signal, table teaching is turned
off, but teaching on individual welds present during the
first teaching cycle within the table are left on.


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In case some welds in the current table are already flagged for
teaching, toggling the Table Teaching bit will disable, then
enable teaching on all the welds within the table. This will
reset weld counts and cause the teaching process for those
welds to start over.
If any welds exist in the table but are not welded during the
first learning cycle, their teaching bit is turned off at the end of
the first learning cycle. Therefore, only welds that actually
took place during the first learning cycle will continue on with
their teach process.
Disabling table teach from the web interface for a particular
table will remove teaching flags from all the welds in the table
regardless whether the teaching process for a weld has been
completed.
If the Table Teaching flag for the table is set, alarms for Min
Weld Count and Max Weld Count are not evaluated. These are
covered in the next section.
A new weld table can be created by filling in the table number
and then clicking on the Insert button on the bottom of the
screen. The specified table number must be between 0 and
255.
The Cancel all teaching link at the bottom provides a quick
way to disable teaching on all defined weld tables.


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a) MinMax Table Setpoints
Min/Max weld count parameters are used primarily for manual
welding applications. By setting the parameter to a nonzero
value, the weld monitor will automatically begin to enforce the
rule. An indicator of Not Enough Welds will remain until the
minimum number of weld has been recorded for a particular
welding cycle. A Too Many Welds alarm will be fired if the
number of welds recorded for the welding cycle has passed the
high limit.
Teaching for individual welds within the weld table can be
enabled and/or disabled in this page. The number of good
welds to teach is initialized with the value set from the
teaching parameters page when the teaching of particular weld
is enabled. The number will decrease as good welds have been
recorded for that weld in the subsequent welding cycles.
Disregard Part allows for all welds already recorded as good
and the ones yet to be recorded as good in this current welding
cycle to be disregarded for the teaching purposes.
Specific setpoints parameters can be modified. Individual weld
can be deleted from the current weld table. These tasks can be
achieved by following the corresponding underlined links.
These setpoints parameters should be automatically taught
using the teach process. This page is designed to allow for the
fine tuning the teach results.


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Detailed configuration for each weld can be entered through this
interface.
The start/end delay parameters allow the weld monitor to
disregard portions of the weld signature that are undesirable
due to the rampup and rampdown of various signals.
The Blip parameter determines the minimum duration that
setpoints can be exceeded for any sensor readings before an
alarm is triggered. This parameter can be used to adjust the
weld monitor’s capability for handling sensor noise.
A zero value in a particular field will cause the weld monitor
not to evaluate that weld condition.


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b) Transfer utilities
Setpoints can be saved to and loaded from the flash card using
the built in transfer utility. A unique backup name needs to be
provided.
Setpoints can be saved to the builtin flash card.
Follow the on screen messages for further operations.
A successfull backup of setpoints. A successful restore of
setpoints.


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c) Teaching parameters
Parameters in this page will be used as the default values
during the teach process. The Teach Over parameter
determines the number of good welds that needs to be
averaged over in order to produce the final setpoints for a
particular weld.


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d) PLC blocks
These parameters should not be modified once the program is
setup and weld monitor is properly configured by a PLC
programmer.
MinMax method status block
MinMax method statistics block
MinMax method teaching status block
MinMax method teaching control block


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e) Current setpoints
This page shows the setpoints currently being used to evaluate
the weld.


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f) Status page
Detailed system parameters are shown on this page.


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g) Statistics page
This page shows the welding statistics for the last recorded
weld.


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4.0 OI Integration
This section describes the standard template supplied for use
with a TRA OI15 and TRAWM.
4.1 Weld Overview Screen
Status of individuals welds can be overlayed over an image of the part.
Welds can be viewed in further detail by pressing any of the weld buttons.
The Weld Overview Screen has two critical functions. In
process mode the weld indicators show the status of every
weld that has been made. The other function is relevant when
the machine is in teach mode, and allows the user to reteach
each individual weld.


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Indicators placed at each weld location show the status of the
weld and can be pressed for more information.
Every time the robot weld cycle is latched and the machine is
operating in Weld Mode, a new part is created in the Weld
Monitor Database. Once the robot starts sending Weld ID
numbers and strikes an arc, the Weld Indicators will change
states from gray to either red or green. A red weld indicator
shows that the particular weld is out of parameters; conversely
the green weld indicator signifies a weld that is within all set
parameters. During teach mode, the indicator may turn a third
color, orange, to signify teach status for that particular weld.
Each of the Weld Indicators are identified in a couple of ways.
The blue text that sits above the indicator defines the weld
number. The text on the actual indicators represents which
robot (w1 for robot 1/master and therefore weld monitor 1 and
w2 for robot 2/slave respectively) and particular Weld ID the
robot is sending to the weld monitor.
These button navigate
through parts in the
database.


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A navigation tool also exists on the weld overview screen. It
is used to browse through previously welded parts. The Next
and Prev buttons increment forward and backwards through
the history of welded parts. The current button takes you to
the part that was last welded or the part that is currently being
welded.
The weld indicators are also used as a means to reteach an
individual weld. Pressing either a red or green indicator will
call up a weld graph dialog that will show the weld graph
associated with the indicator.
Pressing one of the weld indicators will bring up the graph of an
individual weld, shown here.
The graph dialog includes three buttons at the top for teaching
related functions. The Teach Enable button will turn on teach
mode for only that weld. It will show the number of good
welds needed for teaching this particular weld. The number is
set in the teaching parameters menu via the weld monitor web
interface.
Once teach mode is turned on, the other two buttons Accept
and Reject will be enabled after this weld is recognized again
during the next welding cycle. After each subsequent part is
welded, the operator can choose to reject or accept (default)
any particular weld using the Accept and Reject buttons in the
graph dialog. For example, if a part gets welded and three of


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the welds are visually inspected to be out of specification, then
the data collected for those welds can be thrown out of the
running average by using the Reject button.
By default, all welds are accepted at the end of the welding
cycle if they are not already marked as rejected.


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4.2 Weld Monitor Setup Screen
The controls shown to the right are included on the
main setup screen. An additional set of controls
are provided in another screen that may be more
suitable for specific applications.
WM OK
This button allows the operator to reset weld
monitor alarms.
Teach Control Enable/Disable
Disabling teach controls does the following:
1. Prevent the Teach bit from activating teach
mode.
2. Prevent toggling teaching of individual
welds using WM Multistate Indicator.
3. Prevent toggling teaching from PLC Control
Teaching Block.
This signal can be used to prevent teaching, and
thus altering setpoints. For example, this bit can
be password protected, which can prevent
unauthorized people from modifying setpoints
during production.
This bit will not prevent toggling Table Teach
from the weld monitor web interface.
Initiate Teach
This button is used to enable teach for currently
selected weld table. A blue indicator will become
visible showing the weld monitor is currently
operating under teach mode.
These buttons display and
Advanced Control Enabled control the state of the
This button enables advanced teaching controls weld monitor, and for
and displays them on the screen. controlling the teach
process.
Cancel All Teaching
This button cancels all teaching for the table.


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Disregard Part
This button can be used during the teach process to reject the
last welded part, therefore, prevent the weld signatures being
used towards setpoints calculation. Note: it only rejects the
welds made during the current welding cycle.
An additional set of controls are available through another screen.
Descriptions for the buttons can be found directly on the screen.
Enable/Disable Teach
These buttons enable and disable teach for the selected tables.
Good/Bad Weld
These buttons mark the current selected weld as good or bad
for the previous teaching cycle.
Alive (Ping WM)
This button is used by programmer to diagnose weld monitor
communications. It is rarely used in daytoday operations.
Stop OFF/ON
This button is used to put weld monitor in and out of running
mode. If the weld monitor is out of running mode, it will not
monitor any welds.
Reset Counter
This button will end a welding cycle.


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4.3 Weld Graph
The weld graph can be configured to show particular variables, statistics,
differing levels of zoom on the data. Users can also navigate through
welds using this interface.
Five parameters are graphed independently. Operators may
choose to show or hide certain parameters by pressing the
color coded buttons on the upper right corner of the weld
graph section. Numerical statistics can be reported as well by
pressing the Show Stat button. Prev and Next buttons allow the
operator to navigate through all the welds that have been
recorded in the touch screen database. In addition, various
display properties can be manipulated by the buttons listed at
the bottom of the section.
The start and end delay, when specified in the setpoints, are
marked by distinct vertical lines and can be used to guide the
teaching parameters.


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Weld Statistics
The statistics, usually located at the bottom of the setup screen shows live
and calculated values for the main variables.
Weld statistics section lists the current, minimum, maximum
and average readings for each of the five monitored
parameters for the very last weld recognized by the weld
monitor. The table number and weld number corresponds to
the weld for which the statistics are shown. Weld count
indicates the number of welds that has been recognized during
the current welding cycle.


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Programming Interface
Creating a Weld Indicator
To create a new weld indicator, begin by clicking on the insert
weld monitor multistate indicator button as shown in the
figure above.
Once the indicator is placed on the screen and sized
appropriately, open the states editor and make the appropriate
modifications to the text field and the color field. Three
different states are needed for full use of these indicators: an
error state (Error), a state to indicate a good weld (1), and a
state for “not welded” (0). The following figure shows an
example color scheme and text labels. It is useful to modify
the name of the text to correspond with the weld number sent
from the robot for that weld. In this case, w1 represents a
weld from weld monitor 1 and the ‘4’ represents the Weld ID
sent from the robot.


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AttributeName Description
unique id for each weld, sequentially generated
__id__ by the database
__oi_store_time_ timestamp at which HMI tries to store the weld
_ data to the database
__db_store_time timestamp at which HMI database store the
__ data
weld monitor (id) from which the weld is
welderid monitored
the first weld id (__id__) used after the new
Partid part / reset counter signal is raised
stptable setpoint table number
the number of welds performed since last new
weldcount part / reset counter signal
weldnum weld number within particular setpoint table
welddatetime timestamp at which the weld has started
user defined tool id (by default, the user info
usertoolid block is turned off)
user defined part id (by default, the user info
userpartid block is turned off)
user defined part type (by default, the user info
userparttype block is turned off)
user defined number 1 (by default, the user info
usernumber1 block is turned off)
user defined number 2 (by default, the user info
usernumber2 block is turned off)
user defined description (by default, the user
userdesc info block is turned off)
user defined serial number (by default, the user
serialnumber info block is turned off)
i_min minimum current monitored
i_max maximum current monitored
i_avg average current monitored
u_min minimum voltage monitored
u_max maximum voltage monitored
u_avg average voltage monitored
gf_min minimum gas flow monitored
gf_max maximum gas flow monitored
gf_avg average gas flow monitored
wf_min minimum wire feed monitored
wf_max maximum wire feed monitored
wf_avg average wire feed monitored


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p_min minimum power monitored

p_max maximum power monitored
p_avg average power monitored
weldtime time duration for this weld
wirecons wire consumption for this weld
powercons power consumption for this weld
al1 encoded alarms1 (warnings not stored)
al2 encoded alarms (warnings not stored)
1...welded without alarm; 2...alarm during
st weld;3…weld not evaluated yet
stp_i_lo low alarm limit for current used for evaluation
stp_i_hi high alarm limit for current used for evaluation
stp_u_lo low alarm limit for voltage used for evaluation
stp_u_hi high alarm limit for voltage used for evaluation
stp_gf_lo low alarm limit for gas flow used for evaluation
stp_gf_hi high alarm limit for gas flow used for evaluation
low alarm limit for wire feed speed used for
stp_wf_lo evaluation
high alarm limit for wire feed speed used for
stp_wf_hi evaluation
stp_p_lo low alarm limit for power used for evaluation
stp_p_hi high alarm limit for power used for evaluation
low current percentage for warning evaluation;
example: stp_i_lo = 100, stp_i_loproc = 10 ->
stp_i_loproc low warning is raised if I value is lower than 110
high current percentage for warning evaluation;
example: stp_i_hi = 100, stp_i_hiproc = 10 ->
stp_i_hiproc high warning is raised if value is higher than 90
stp_u_loproc low voltage percentage for warning evaluation
stp_u_hiproc high voltage percentage for warning evaluation
stp_gf_loproc low gasflow percentage for warning evaluation
stp_gf_hiproc high gasflow percentage for warning evaluation
stp_wf_loproc low wirefeed percentage for warning evaluation
stp_wf_hiproc high wirefeed percentage for warning evaluation
stp_p_loproc low power percentage for warning evaluation
stp_p_hiproc high power percentage for warning evaluation
start delay used for evaluation (signals
monitored before the start delay runs up are
stp_delaystart ignored)
end delay used for evaluation (signals
monitored for the last end delay time before the
stp_delayend weld is finished are ignored)


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blip time used for evaluation (signals monitored

need to go out of range for more than the blip
stp_blip time before any alarm is triggered)
stp_time always 0
stp_timehi high limit for time of weld (maximal time)
stp_timelo low limit for time of weld (minimal time)
setpoint enabled; 1...weld was evaluated
normally; 0...all limits are set to 0 so weld was
stp_enable not evaluated
stp_tdesc setpoint table description
stp_wdesc setpoint weld description
stp_wireconslo low limit for wire consumption
stp_wireconshi high limit for wire consumption
stp_powerconslo low limit for power consumption
stp_powerconshi high limit for power consumption
teachinfo teach information
0...values in english units; 1...values in metric
metunits units;
al1 bits:
0 current high error
2 current low error
4 voltage high error
6 voltage low error
8 gas flow high error
10 gas flow low error
12 wire feed high error
14 wire feed low error
al2 bits:
0 power high error
2 power low error
4 time low error
5 time high error
6 wire consumption low error
7 wire consumption high error
8 power consumption low error
9 power consumption high error
teachinfo bits:
0 0…normal weld; 1… teaching weld


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1 taught as good weld

2 taught as bad weld

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The weld voltage input is wired to the dc voltage of the

The TRA Weld Monitor has a number of different

24 VDC DC Com GND

p_min minimum power monitored

blip time used for evaluation (signals monitored

1 taught as good weld

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